As Burlington and other cities adopt the scrappy tactics of their citizens, they’ll need to show that they can make good on tactical urbanism’s original principles — to move faster, try new things, and not be afraid to fail.

Aside from Quartz’s very misleading title, a recent study concluded that if cities increased density into their urban cores, there would still be few benefits to air quality if sprawl isn’t reduced as well.

A Boston University study published on April 6 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that a major push in cities like Denver to build dense housing, better transit systems, and more bike lanes in their urban core doesn’t necessarily lead to lower per-capita CO2 emissions. That’s because suburbs continue to sprawl and residents there still drive to work.

Because for all the hype about America’s urban comeback, it’s clear that the comeback isn’t happening everywhere. It’s a complicated equation that determines where job growth occurs. And much of it remains unsolved.

Secretary for Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan discussed homelessness in America on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Monday 5 February 2012.

Please watch the two segments as Shaun explains the recent successes in the Obama administration that will eventually lead to an end to homelessness by 2015. As daunting as this task seems, he stresses that this is wholly achievable. Good luck.